Question 1

A researcher is curious about the average monthly cell phone bill for high school students in the state of Florida.If this average could be obtained,it would be an example of a ______.

Accepted Answer

The average monthly cell phone bill for all high school students in the state of Florida represents a parameter, as it is a measure that describes the entire population of interest.

Question 2

Although a research study is typically conducted with a relatively small group of participants known as a _________,most researchers hope to generalize their results to a much larger group known as a _________.

Accepted Answer

A research study is typically conducted with a sample of participants, which is a smaller group than the population the researcher hopes to generalize their results to. Therefore, the correct answer is A) sample; population.

Question 3

What kind of variable requires the use of real limits?

Accepted Answer

Only continuous variables require the use of real limits. This is because continuous variables can take on any value within a range, including values that are infinitely close to each other. Real limits are needed to accurately measure and analyze these values.

Question 4

A researcher conducts an experiment to determine whether moderate doses of St.John's Wort have any effect of memory for college students.For this study,what is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable, in this case, is the variable that is being manipulated or changed by the researcher, which is the amount (dose) of St. John's Wort given to each participant.

Question 5

For an experiment comparing two methods of teaching social skills training to autistic children,the independent variable is _______ and the dependent variable is _______.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is being manipulated or changed by the experimenter, which in this case is the teaching method. The dependent variable is the variable being measured, which is the social skills that are learned by the autistic children. Therefore, teaching methods are the independent variable and the social skills that are learned are the dependent variable.

Question 6

If it is impossible to divide the existing categories of a variable,then it is an example of a(n)_____ variable.

Accepted Answer

Discrete variables have a fixed set of possible values that cannot be divided further. This means that it is impossible to divide the existing categories of a variable, making it an example of a discrete variable. Independent and dependent variables are terms used in experimental design and do not relate to the number of categories a variable can have. Continuous variables, on the other hand, can be divided into smaller units or values.

Question 7

In a correlational study,

Accepted Answer

In a correlational study, two variables are measured and there is only one group of participants. The purpose of the study is to examine the relationship between the two variables, not to compare groups.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a discrete variable?

Accepted Answer

The gender of each student is a discrete variable as it consists of distinct categories (male or female).

Question 9

The average verbal SAT score for the entire class of entering freshmen is 530.However,if you select a sample of 20 freshmen and compute their average verbal SAT score you probably will not get exactly 530.What statistical concept is used to explain the natural difference that exists between a sample mean and the corresponding population mean?

Accepted Answer

The natural difference that exists between a sample mean and the corresponding population mean is known as sampling error. This occurs due to the fact that the sample is only a subset of the population and may not perfectly represent the population. Statistical error and inferential error do not accurately describe this concept, and parametric error refers to a more specific situation when assumptions about the population distribution are not met.

Question 10

A researcher uses an anonymous survey to investigate the television-viewing habits of American adolescents.The entire group of American adolescents is an example of a _________.

Accepted Answer

The definition provided for the entire group of American adolescents fits the description of a population, which is a complete set of individuals or objects that share at least one common characteristic of interest. The other options do not accurately describe the concept presented. A sample is a subset of the population that is studied to make inferences about the whole population, and a statistic is a numerical value calculated from data within a sample. A parameter is a numerical value that describes a characteristic of a population.

Question 11

A characteristic,usually a numerical value,which describes a sample is called a _______.

Accepted Answer

A statistic is a characteristic, usually a numerical value, that describes a sample. Parameters describe populations, variables can change and represent data points, and constants remain unchanged.

Question 12

For a research study comparing attitude scores for males and females,participant gender is an example of what kind of variable?

Accepted Answer

Participant gender cannot be manipulated by the researcher and is not randomly assigned, so it is not a true independent variable. However, it is not a true dependent variable either because it does not depend on any other variable. Therefore, it is considered a quasi-independent variable.

Question 13

A recent study reports that students who just finished playing a prosocial video game were more likely to help others than students who had played a neutral or antisocial game.For this study,what is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor being manipulated in the study, which is the kind of game given to the students (prosocial, neutral, or antisocial). The study is examining how this variable affects helping behavior, which is the dependent variable. Therefore, the correct answer is C. A, B, and D are all dependent variables or outcomes being measured in the study.

Question 14

Organizing a set of scores in a table is an example of using _______.

Accepted Answer

Organizing a set of scores in a table is an example of using descriptive statistics, which involves summarizing and describing data. Parameters are numerical measures that describe characteristics of a population, while statistics are numerical measures that describe characteristics of a sample. Inferential statistics involves using data from a sample to infer information about a population. None of these concepts directly apply to organizing a set of scores in a table.

Question 15

A researcher uses an anonymous survey to investigate the television-viewing habits of American adolescents.The goal of the research is to determine the average number of hours each day that American adolescents spend watching television.The researcher is trying to determine a number that is an example of a _____.

Accepted Answer

A parameter is a numerical measurement describing some characteristic of a population. In this case, the researcher is trying to determine the average number of hours each day that American adolescents (the population) spend watching television, which is a parameter.

Question 16

A researcher is interested in the eating behavior of rats and selects a group of 25 rats to be tested in a research study.The group of 25 rats is an example of a ______.

Accepted Answer

The group of 25 rats is a sample because it is a subset of the larger population of all rats.

Question 17

A researcher uses an anonymous survey to investigate the television-viewing habits of American adolescents.Based on the set of 356 surveys that were completed and returned,the researcher finds that these students spend an average of 3.1 hours each day watching television.For this study,the set of 356 students who returned surveys is an example of a _______.

Accepted Answer

The set of 356 students who returned surveys is a subset of the larger group of American adolescents. Therefore, it represents a sample of the population and not the entire population (C). The average of 3.1 hours each day that these students spend watching television is a calculated value based on the responses of the sample, making it a statistic (B) rather than a parameter.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a continuous variable?

Accepted Answer

A continuous variable is one that can take on any value within a certain range, and time to solve a problem can be measured in infinitely small increments, making it a continuous variable. The other options are not continuous variables as they have distinct, quantifiable values (e.g. number of males in a class, number of children in a family).

Question 19

The relationship between a statistic and a parameter is the same as the relationship between ______.

Accepted Answer

A statistic is a numerical summary of a sample, while a parameter is a numerical summary of a population. Therefore, the relationship between them is the same as the relationship between a sample and a population.

Question 20

A researcher records the change in weight (gained or lost)during the first semester of college for each individual in a group of 25 freshmen,then calculates the average change in weight.The average is an example of a _______.

Accepted Answer

The average change in weight is calculated from the sample of 25 freshmen, so it is an example of a statistic. A parameter would refer to the average change in weight for all freshmen, which would require data from the entire population of freshmen. A variable refers to the characteristic being measured (in this case, change in weight), and a constant is a fixed value.

Quiz 1: Introduction to Statistics.